Minister of Communications to lead SA commemoration of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day
As the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the global community celebrate World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD) on 17 May, the Minister of Communications, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams will conduct activations to mark the 50th anniversary of the ITU and celebration of this important calendar event in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
The Minister will attend and deliver a keynote address at the launch of Telkom’s fibre connectivity in Soweto as well as engage listeners of 25 community radio stations through a GCIS simulcast on South Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution interventions and its role in democratising communications for the unconnected.
WTISD is an annual celebration which commenced in 2006 as per the decision of the ITU plenipotentiary conference to combine World Telecommunications Day and World Information Society Day.
World Telecommunications Day marks the signature of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865, which led to the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In March 2006 the UN General Assembly declared 17 May as the World Information Society Day following the request made by the 2005 World Summit on Information Society.
The commemoration of WTISD focuses on the importance of ICT and wide range of issues relating to the Information Society. The ITU encourages its member countries to celebrate WTISD by organising activities to remind communities about the benefits that ICTs bring to societies and economies across the globe.
This year’s celebration focuses on “Bridging the standardization gap,” a clarion call to member states to prioritise and engage on the importance of standardisation in the ICT sector.
Members of the media are invited to cover the Telkom Fibre Connectivity launch as follows:
Date: Friday, 17 May 2019
Time: 7h30 – 8h30
Venue: Orlando West High School, Vilakazi St, Orlando West, Soweto
The Minister’s live engagement with community radio listeners will take place from 10h00 – 11h00. The list of participating stations is hereto attached.
Media RSVP or enquiries:
Nthabeleng Mokitimi-Dlamini
Cell: 073 222 5522
